


A California Outing

by MissAnnThropic



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-18
Updated: 2015-01-18
Packaged: 2018-03-08 01:29:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3190724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAnnThropic/pseuds/MissAnnThropic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So… Stiles was into guys.  That was something Derek hadn’t known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A California Outing

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posting: I do not consent to have my fics posted to other websites (such a Goodreads).

Having surrounded himself with moody teenagers, there was a lot of stuff that Derek just ignored. He hadn’t cared about that 90210/Melrose Place drama when he’d _been_ in high school. He certainly wasn’t going to give a shit about it after he’d left it.

But his entire pack was under the age of twenty, and adolescent drama just went with the territory, so Derek learned to dismiss eighty percent of what his pack members said. If certain key words like ‘threat’ ‘danger’ or ‘kill’ didn’t come up in the sentence, he tuned out.

He knew it made him seem callous and cold, but there was a finite amount of give-a-shit in Derek Hale, and he wasn’t wasting his supply on that crap.

So when Scott confided in him that he was worried about Stiles because he was acting strangely, Derek could not brain dump that conversation fast enough. Stiles was nothing _but_ strange behavior. And if this ‘strange’ wasn’t on the order of ‘I think he might be a kanima’ then Derek had zero fucks to give. He imagined Stiles had some kind of overblown crisis every other week. He just went from zero to sixty in five seconds like that.

He didn’t give Scott’s concerns any real consideration until Derek was walking through the streets of San Bernardino Friday evening and caught Stiles’ scent.

Derek ground to a halt before he even really thought about it. He had come to the city alone, so the scent of a member of his pack drew him up short on instinct. He was drawn to pack and followed the scent.

It led him to the mouth of an alley, where Stiles was…

Stiles was pressed back against the brick, locked in a serious kiss with another guy. Stiles was fumbling like he didn’t know where to put his hands, and the other guy was leaning in and going to town like he _definitely_ knew what went where.

So… Stiles was into guys. That was something Derek hadn’t known. He filed that away with other random tidbits about Stiles Stilinski, next to ‘way too fond of curly fries’, ‘can totally be a sarcastic little shit’, ‘stupidly brave’, and ‘not to be underestimated because he’s smarter than he looks’.

The reshuffling of his mental profile of Stiles happened without fanfare as Derek stood there watching Stiles make out with someone of the same gender.

He hadn’t even really decided what he was going to do (just turn around and walk off like he’d seen nothing?, clear his throat to get their attention?) when the trashcan next to him exploded with cat. A tabby cat (that had been, what – napping in the garbage?) chose that moment to bolt out of the trashcan and make a break for the open street. The lid hit the ground with a metal crash, breaking Stiles and his kissing buddy apart instantly.

They both looked toward the direction of the sound and their eyes landed on Derek standing there (yes, like a creeper, but Derek wouldn’t give Stiles the satisfaction of acknowledging it) staring at them.

Stiles’ eyes went wide and he paled. “De… _Derek_?”

Derek’s ire rose the second he got a look at the other guy’s face. Because he was at least Derek’s age, if not older. Inappropriately older. Derek felt a growl rattling deep in his chest. He might not be a good listener – that had been Laura of the Hale pack – but _no one_ could say Derek wasn’t protective of his pack.

And he maybe was just a _tad_ sensitive to the young and impressionable being taken advantage of sexually by an older person.

Derek stalked toward the pair, eyes locked on the older guy.

“Derek, what are you…” Stiles’ voice was a tremulous squeak.

Without answering Stiles’ fumbling, incomplete questions, Derek reached them and physically interposed himself between the two. “Who are you?” Derek demanded of the asshole molesting a teenager.

The guy looked torn between wanting to stand toe-to-toe with Derek and being scared shitless because werewolf had an effect on humans. They sensed predator in Derek. He could make people feel like prey when he wanted to. And right now, he wanted to.

The guy settled for looking over at Stiles past Derek’s shoulder. “I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend.”

“I…”

Derek glowered and stepped closer. “How old are you?”

“Dude, what are you, his father?” the guy sneered. But he also backed up a step.

“No… his father would be the sheriff.”

That made the guy look like he might actually piss his pants. Derek thought Sheriff Stilinski would love to know he scared somebody more than Derek Hale did when it came to Stiles’ safety. Not that there was any way to tell him without opening an enormous can of worms.

“Hey, now, wait,” the guy raised his hands as if Derek were holding a gun on him. “I didn’t –”

“Didn’t know he was a minor?” Derek asked incredulously. “That’s what you’re going with? The only way that would fly is if you were legally blind. Which I can arrange.”

The guy was backpedalling in earnest then, retreating down the alley. “No! I’ll just… screw this. I’m out of here.”

Derek stood squarely between Stiles and the douchebag until he’d rounded the other end of the alley and disappeared. Then he turned to look back at Stiles.

Stiles was pressed against the wall like he was trying to escape, his hands clenched into fists and his eyes pointedly averted. His hair was mussed and his lips were kiss-swollen. His clothes were rumpled from manhandling, and Derek wanted to run down the fucker and _hurt him_. God damnit, Stiles was just a _kid_. He was a kid in _Derek’s pack_. The guy was lucky to leave with his throat intact.

“Stiles…”

“Don’t,” Stiles croaked, still not looking Derek in the eye. “What are you doing here?”

“I was meeting someone. What are _you_ doing here?”

“I…” Stiles stammered and swallowed hard. He looked like he might be sick. 

“Are you here by yourself?”

Stiles started to nod, then frowned and shook his head. But then he stopped like that wasn’t really right, either. “I’m not… I didn’t come with any of the pack, if that’s what you mean.”

And yes, that _was_ what Derek meant. Pack was the only group of individuals he trusted, and therefore his gut told him everyone in the pack should feel that way, too.

“I… Vanessa gave me a ride.”

Who the fuck was Vanessa? Whatever, she clearly couldn’t be trusted to look out for Stiles. “Well, I’m taking you home.”

It probably said a lot that Stiles didn’t argue. He just kind of nodded jerkily, then said, “I need to… let me tell her.” He pushed off the wall, fell back, then tried again. This time, his wobbly knees supported him, but it looked like a near thing. Derek sidled subtly closer in case Stiles’ legs gave out on him.

It turned out the wall Stiles had been leaning against belonged to some kind of club. Already in protective mode, Derek stayed close to Stiles’ side as he approached the entrance. The bouncer at the door who turned at their approached obviously recognized Stiles and made no move to bar him. Which really made Derek question the integrity of the entire establishment if they’d let someone as clearly underage as Stiles in.

The bouncer also gave Derek a critical eye, but he didn’t dare try and stop him as he stuck to Stiles like glue. It probably saved the guy a broken arm.

Stiles looked back at Derek dazedly, probably puzzled that he was playing shadow with him, but he didn’t try to get him to stop. 

Quiet, acquiescent Stiles was troubling. Derek studied Stiles intently from half a pace behind him. His mind raced with questions. He should have paid more attention to Scott when he told Derek he was worried about Stilinski.

Stiles tracked down a woman who… was not a woman. Derek used to live in New York. Very little surprised him. And transvestites didn’t make him so much as blink. But he _did_ wonder when and how Stiles fell in with that crowd. Derek found himself uncomfortably questioning if he actually knew Stiles at all. He was the pack’s alpha… he should know his members at least better than this.

“Vanessa…” Stiles tapped her shoulder and the drag queen turned. Her eyes lit on Stiles and she smiled. “Hey, cutie. How’s it going?” She stopped at the look on his face. “Hun, are you all right?”

Derek snorted. It was too late for this ‘friend’ to act like she cared about Stiles’ well-being when she’d let him get dragged into the alley by a guy twice Stiles’ age.

“Yeah, uh… look, thanks for bringing me out here, but I… I’m going to head back.”

“Okay, sugar. Let me say bye to some people and I’ll drive you home.”

Over Derek’s dead body.

“Actually, I ran into a friend.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Derek. “He’s going to give me a lift. So you stay and have fun.”

Vanessa finally looked in Derek’s direction and her eyebrows climbed. “Damn, sweetie, that’s not the hottie you were dancing with a minute ago. This one’s even better.” She smiled down at Stiles, a look of pride glinting in her eyes. “I told you they’d eat you up.”

It was a struggle for Derek to keep his eyes from flashing red.

“Yeah, no, he’s… it’s not like that _at all_.” Stiles scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“All right. Kiss kiss.” She leaned toward Stiles.

Derek was a split second from yanking Stiles back until they exchanged chaste kisses on the cheek. Then Derek was taking Stiles by the elbow and steering him out of the club. This was a gay club – it only took a few seconds looking around to figure _that_ out – and Derek didn’t like how half the men there were looking at Stiles like he was candy.

He didn’t let go of Stiles’ elbow until they were both outside the club. When he did, Stiles folded his arms over his chest like he was trying to become smaller. Derek headed toward where his car was parked, constantly throwing worried looks over at Stiles. He wasn’t _talking_ , and that was like the sun not rising. No matter what, Stiles talked. It was nearly impossible to shut him up.

But they got to the car, Stiles slipped into the passenger seat, Derek got on to the road that would take them back to Beacon Hills, and through it all Stiles didn’t speak a word.

That didn’t mean it was silent. The whole time, Stiles’ heart was thundering. Derek found himself focusing on it. _thump thump…thump thump…thump thump…_

Just before the highway, it changed.

_thump thump…thump thump… skip stutter thump… skip stutter thump… skip stutter pound pound pound POUND POUND POUND **POUNDPOUNDPOUNDPOUNDPOUND**_

Derek shot a worried look over at Stiles. 

He was shaking and gasping for air.

“ _Stiles_?”

“… stop… I can’t… pull…” Stiles scrambled at the door handle to try and open the car door, even though they were going almost fifty.

“Whoa!” Derek reached over and slapped a hand against Stiles’ chest to pin him to the seat, just in case he managed to get the door open and tried to fling himself out of a moving car. Then Derek could _feel_ Stiles’ heart beating like crazy inside his chest.

Stiles clawed at Derek’s hand, clutched at his forearm, then he squirmed like a wild animal caught in a trap. “Stop, _stop_!”

Derek swung on to the shoulder and stopped the car. The second he let Stiles go, the teen threw open the door and stumbled out. He made it three steps before he crumpled to the ground.

Derek jumped out after him, coming up on Stiles on his hands and knees in the grass, shaking like a leaf and gasping desperately for air. His heart was so loud, drowning out the cars on the highway nearby.

“Stiles?” Derek dropped to one knee beside him. He put a hand on his back, not knowing what else to do. “What’s wrong?”

Stiles wheezed and shook his head, eyes clenched shut.

“You gotta breathe,” Derek pleaded.

Stiles sucked in too little too fast, shallow and useless. He started to sway. His elbows buckled and folded.

Derek caught him before he went face-first into the ground, wrapping one arm around Stiles’ chest and pulling him close. Stiles struggled feebly, too oxygen-starved to do more than writhe. 

“Easy… it’s okay… you’re okay…”

The bad news was Stiles passed out and went limp. The good news was that his breathing immediately returned to something approaching normal.

Derek sat on the side of the road holding him, waiting out whatever this was and wondering if he should be calling 911.

It was only a few seconds before Stiles was coming to again. He blinked, gaze glassy. His hand went to the arm wrapped around his chest like it was a reflex. “Dad?” he whispered hoarsely.

Hell, was this something that happened often with the sheriff usually playing Derek’s role? Seriously, what the fuck?

“It’s me, Stiles,” Derek said lowly.

Stiles froze. He let go of Derek’s arm like it had burned him. Then he covered his face with his hands. “Oh god…”

“Are you okay?”

“Do I _look_ okay to you?”

Derek made a decision. “Get in the car. I’m taking you to the emergency room.”

Since blacking out, Stiles had been pliant in Derek’s hold. At that, he started to struggle. “What? No!”

“I wasn’t asking if that was all right with you. You just had some kind of seizure…”

“It wasn’t…” Stiles wiggled until Derek let him go. Stiles pushed away and turned to sit in the grass facing Derek. “It was a panic attack.”

“A panic… that’s happened before?”

A broken laugh/snort erupted from Stiles’ throat. “Yeah, you could say that.”

Derek blinked at him. For a human, Stiles had always seemed so resilient. He had no idea he could fall apart like that.

“Why were you there?” Stiles asked plaintively.

“I was meeting a local alpha to discuss a possible alliance between our pack and hers.”

“No, I mean… why did you have to see? No one was supposed to _see_ me… see _that_ … you weren’t supposed to… You can’t tell anybody. _Please_.”

Derek scowled.

“Please,” Stiles said, “it’s okay if you… it’s fine if you don’t like it, if you think it’s wrong, just don’t tell anybody.”

Damn right Derek thought it was wrong for someone Stiles’ age to be doing _that_ with someone so much older than he was. It was what Kate Argent had done to him. There weren’t words for how wrong Derek thought that was.

Clearly that sentiment was reflected on his face, because Stiles was staring in horror at him, eyes welling with tears.

Derek wanted to say something about statutory rape, coming from someone who’d been a victim, but he didn’t want to set Stiles off again. So he just sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “We can talk about it later… just get back in the car.”

Stiles swallowed and gathered his limbs under him unsteadily. And it wasn’t until he saw them uncooperative that Derek realized how coltish Stiles was, all gangly limbs like a baby deer. Maybe he was going through a growth spurt – stretching out and thinning down. Damnit, he was still _growing_. He was too young for grown men to be taking anything from him. Even just a damn kiss.

Stiles walked back to the car weaving like he was drunk, then he buckled up and stared resolutely out the window.

Derek wondered what god he’d pissed off to be the alpha of a group of utterly unmanageable teenagers.

*****************

They were driving almost half an hour before Derek felt comfortable enough with Stiles’ heartbeat to broach the subject.

“Listen, Stiles… I don’t want to tell you what to do with your personal life.”

“But?” Stiles gave him a rueful glare. At least he was fuming instead of hyperventilating. Derek would take it.

“ _But_ … you have to know what you were doing back there was wrong.”

Stiles’ expression turned stony. “I don’t expect you to understand. I don’t see how it’s any of your business, anyway.”

And maybe it wasn’t, but Derek couldn’t let it go. Stiles was pack, and Derek would do what he had to in order to protect him. Even from his own bad decisions, if he could. Especially _this one_ , because Derek could speak from experience about how it could ruin someone’s life.

“It’s my business because I say it’s my business.”

“Just because you’re ‘the alpha’ doesn’t mean you get to tell me how to live my life,” Stiles countered with a snarl. “I’m not even one of your wolves. You don’t get _any_ say in what I do or who I do it with.”

Derek clenched his hands around the steering wheel. “I’m trying to keep you safe.”

The smell of salt was Derek’s only indication that tears were threatening in Stiles’ eyes again. “How dare you… I… this is the way I am. You can’t save me from being me. I won’t… I won’t change for you.”

Derek frowned. “What?”

“Maybe it took me a while to figure it out, but now that I have I can’t just pretend I’m not… the way I am.” Stiles’ voice was wavering between sobs and rage. “If you can’t accept me as I am, that’s your problem. I don’t… I don’t need you.”

“It’s not just me who thinks it’s wrong.”

“Go to hell.”

“It’s called statutory rape, Stiles! The _law’s_ with me on this one. And you know what, your dad would be, too.”

Stiles went silent a moment. “You… what?”

“That guy you were playing tonsil hockey with was almost forty!”

“He wasn’t _that_ old,” Stiles muttered. Then he looked over at Derek, confused. “ _That’s_ what you’re so mad about?”

Derek growled.

“You’re not…” Stiles swallowed. “You’re not mad because I was… with a guy?”

Derek looked over at Stiles and saw the naked fear and hope in his face. “Stiles… if it had been that Danny kid or Isaac, or hell, even Scott, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” He looked back at the road. “I don’t care that you were kissing another guy. I care that he was an adult and you’re not.”

“Oh…”

Man, had they been on entirely different pages in this argument. That made Derek gentle his tone, now that he was starting to understand what was going on. “You thought I was pissed because you were with a guy?”

“I… yes?”

Derek saw the road sign for Beacon Hills whip past and pursed his lips in thought. He made a decision and took the second exit.

“This isn’t the way to my house,” Stiles pointed out.

“We’re not going to your house. We need to talk.”

Stiles hunkered down in his seat like the quintessential sullen teenager, but the silence didn’t feel hostile and devastated the way it had before.

*****************

Derek followed Stiles into his loft and closed the door behind them. Stiles looked lost, hands shoved into his pockets and elbows locked. When Derek went toward the kitchen, Stiles followed wordlessly.

The strange silence persisted until Derek was sliding a cup of hot tea across the counter at Stiles.

Stiles gave it a funny look and Derek snorted. “Erica makes me keep it in the cupboards for her.” Derek took a sip from his own cup. “Don’t tell her I said it’s actually not bad.”

Stiles snorted and fiddled with the cup without drinking.

“So…” Derek moved over to the table and sat down. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?”

Stiles picked up his cup, sat down across from Derek, and stared intently down into the steam rising from his cup for a long time without speaking. Now that Derek had an idea what was going on, he didn’t push him.

Finally, Stiles glanced up at Derek. “I’ve been in love with Lydia Martin since I was a little kid. Before I even _liked_ girls, I adored her. It made things simple. I never… questioned.” Stiles chewed on his lip. “But lately things haven’t been simple. I’ve been feeling… not sure of myself. I mean, I always _noticed_ when guys were attractive, but I just thought everyone did that. Like how you can see a flower and think it’s pretty without wanting to become a florist. But, uh…” Stiles rubbed at the back of his neck and started to blush, “well, I’ve had some reactions to guys that you definitely don’t have to flowers.”

Derek smirked.

“Then about three weeks ago there was this guy at one of Lydia’s parties. Some out-of-town son of her parents’ friends or something like that, and we got to talking, and I… I kissed him. Or he kissed me. _We_ kissed. Luckily no one saw us – we were in the laundry room looking for a broom because someone broke a vase – but I _liked_ it. More than I should have if I was straight. I was kind of freaking out, because I thought I knew me. This wasn’t who I thought I was.”

“And now?”

Stiles took in a fortifying breath and looked Derek in the eye. “And now… I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual. No, I am. I’m bisexual.”

Derek nodded. Studied the way Stiles was just about to bolt out of his seat. “Is that the first time you’ve said it?”

Stiles nodded anxiously.

“So how did you end up in a gay club in San Bernardino?”

Stiles released a breath when Derek didn’t go into a rant after Stiles’ confession. He seemed to sag a little in relief, then said, “I made some friends at the Jungle a while back and I thought Vanessa might… be my sexual orientation crisis spirit guide? I would say my fairy godmother, but I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be PC.”

It was a struggle for Derek not to chuckle. 

“I told her that I might like boys, but I wasn’t sure, and I was… scared, I guess. She suggested we go out of town, where I wouldn’t know anyone, so I could see if I really did like guys without having to worry about being outed.”

“And you do.”

“Yeah.” Stiles finally took a sip of tea.

“Well, I have no problem with your orientation, but I have serious issues with your selection of guys.”

Stiles let out a nervous laugh. Then he considered Derek. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For… being okay with this. I mean, after we cleared up why you were giving me the big bad wolf routine.”

“Don’t trust a grown up that wants to be with someone underage,” Derek warned somberly. “An adult that would do that is bad news.” Derek favored Stiles with a smirk. “You’re free to kiss all the seventeen-year-old boys you want.”

“It’s so nice to have your permission,” Stiles joked.

“As your alpha, you have my blessing.” He gave Stiles a narrowed look. “Just wrap up if you do more than kissing.”

“I can’t believe you’re giving me the safe sex talk.”

“Just count yourself lucky I don’t have a cucumber in the fridge or I might make you practice.”

Stiles barked out a laugh.

Derek took another drink of his own tea, contemplating the impression he apparently left on his pack if Stiles had believed Derek would be homophobic. He didn’t think he gave off that kind of judgmental vibe, but clearly he did. Because Stiles had panicked when Derek caught him. He didn’t like that someone could think he would react that way to two men together. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

The air was comfortable between Derek and Stiles. Which was probably why Derek said what he did. “I had a boyfriend in New York.”

Stiles gaped, jaw dropping and eyes bugging. “ _You_ had a _boyfriend_?”

Derek nodded and steeled himself. “Do you know about what happened between me and Kate Argent?”

Stiles got visibly uncomfortable. “I know you had some kind of history with her… I’m not sure what, though. Just that it had something to do with what happened to your family. But I don’t know the details. I don’t know if you know this, Derek, but you’re kind of a tough nut to crack.”

For good reason. “She seduced me when I was about your age. I was young and she was… much older. She slept with me and used me and burned down my house with my family inside.”

Stiles’ heart tripped in his chest, Derek heard it, and Stiles gulped. “Oh my god… no wonder you flew off the handle when you saw me kissing that guy.”

Exactly. No wonder.

“I was a mess in New York. And I couldn’t even think of being with a woman after what Kate did. So I dated a man.”

Stiles looked stunned. “How long?”

“About four months.” Derek shrugged. “It wasn’t serious. He was getting over a bad break-up, too. We were… good for each other. It was exactly what we both needed. And we ended it when we were ready to move on.”

“Wow.” Stiles chuckled nervously. “So do you still… uh… I mean, was it just experimenting, or do you… are you still attracted to men?”

“Sometimes. I don’t really put a label on it. I’m attracted to who I’m attracted to.”

Stiles looked at him, awe-struck. “Forget Vanessa, _you_ can be my bisexual spirit guide.”

“You call me that and I’ll ‘guide’ you right off a cliff.” After Stiles snorted at that, Derek said honestly, “But if you need to talk…”

Stiles gave a small, bashful smile. “Thanks.”

“Are you going to come out to your dad? Scott?”

“I… probably. Yes, eventually. I mean, I know they’ll be fine with it. I’m not worried about that. I’m just not… I’m not ready. I wasn’t ready to tell _anyone_ , but then _you_ caught me and the bisexual cat was out of the bag. Or the trashcan. There _was_ an actual cat there.” Stiles tapped his fingers on the lip of his cup. “I think I just need some time to… own it, you know? To feel like this is me.”

“I don’t know, you sounded pretty adamant this was you in the car.”

“I blacked out from a panic attack and almost started bawling.”

“I wasn’t going to mention it if you weren’t.”

Stiles shook his head with a huff. “I appreciate that, but let’s be honest. That was ugly.”

“I’ve been told I bring that out in people.”

Stiles laughed. Not a nervous twitter or anxious chuckle, but a full-blown laugh. “If I’d known all I had to do to unearth your sense of humor was come out of the closet I would have done it sooner.”

One corner of Derek’s mouth twitched as he considered Stiles and what had happened this evening. Maybe he needed to spend a little more time getting to know all the members of his pack. If they all had even half the layers that Stiles did, they might actually be far more complex and interesting people than Derek had been giving them credit for.

Strange as it sounded, finding out Stiles was bi might end up making Derek a better alpha.

Everyone could agree that would be a good thing.

*****************

“Thanks for driving me home,” Stiles said once the car was parked outside the Stilinski house later that night.

“Where’s your dad?” Derek noted the lack of the police cruiser.

“At a conference in Sacramento about crime scene procedure.” Stiles cast a look at Derek. “He thinks I’m sleeping over at Scott’s tonight.”

“You going to be okay on your own?”

“Dude, I know you think I’m young, but I’m not a _baby_.” Stiles pressed his lips together and his tone lost its playfulness. It aimed for nonchalant and missed. “I’m used to being on my own.” Because he would be – his father’s job being what it was and Stiles’ mother dead, there would be a lot of times when Stiles was on his own. It was hard for Derek to imagine. Stiles thrived off people. He was gregarious. Pack-oriented. He’d never really thought about how much time Stiles spent alone.

He realized he didn’t like it.

“You could stay over at my place.”

Stiles gave him a strange smile. “If my dad ever found out about that, he’d have the exact same freak out that you did today.”

Fair point.

“It’s fine. Thanks for… well, everything.”

Before he could leave the car, Derek said, “Stiles.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not saying… older isn’t necessarily _bad_. There are plenty of older people who aren’t monsters like… like Kate was.” Derek turned his eyes toward the empty street to gather his thoughts (and shake off Kate’s ghost). “You’re at a tough age. But if you _did_ meet someone older, and there was something there… he should care enough to wait for you.”

That was greeted with a scoff. “Who would want to wait for this?” Stiles made a self-deprecating gesture at himself.

“The right person would.”

Stiles regarded Derek quietly a moment, eyes searching. Then he nodded. “Okay.” He started to move, aborted, then he opened his mouth to speak. He looked uncertain, then just plowed ahead because he was Stiles. “You know the same goes for you.”

“I’m well past the age of consent.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “No, I mean… I know you’ve got a lot of… baggage. You’ve been through some shit. I’m sure you think you’re… damaged.” Derek stiffened, but it did not deter Stiles. “But the right person… they won’t care.”

It was a nice idea, but Derek wasn’t holding his breath for a happily ever after. Not for him. But it was nice that someone thought it was still possible for him. It assumed the best in him, when pretty much everyone assumed the worst.

“Anyway…” Stiles muttered.

“Get some sleep, Stiles. And stop hanging out with Vanessa. She doesn’t look out for you very well if she lets wander off into alleys with Hugh Hefner.”

“He wasn’t _that_ old!”

“Fine… Robert Redford.”

“Oh my god, you’re actually horrible. Vanessa was an awesome wingman… er… woman. Your standards are just too high.”

For Stiles, yes. He knew Stiles could do better. Stiles deserved better.

“Just resist locking lips with anyone collecting social security and you’re good.”

“Horrible…” Stiles shook his head, “ _horrible_.” Then he chuckled and got out of the car.

Derek waited in the car watching the Stilinski house until Stiles closed the front door and a light turned on inside before he pulled away from the curb and turned for home.

END


End file.
